Gongwer News: Computer Science Education Funding Has Strong ROI, Advocates Say

May 16, 2023

COLUMBUS - Computer science education supporters said Tuesday an additional $24 million will help grow the in-demand workforce of tomorrow.

Numerous stakeholders –including the Ohio STEM Learning Network, OhioX, Computer Science Teachers Association of Ohio, and the Cleveland Metropolitan School District – asked the Senate Finance Track for an amendment to the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 spending outline (HB 33 Track) that would provide $4 million annually each to:

• Teach CS grants to upskill teachers and provide professional development.

• Computer Science Promise, giving students the opportunity to take a computer science course if their school does not offer one.

• Ohio Computer Science Council to provide after school programming and enrichment outside of the classroom.

"The lack of Computer Science education is an issue of national security. If we wish to remain a leader across the globe in science and technology, we must teach our students computer science," said Kelly Gaier Evans, director of the Ohio STEM Learning Network. "If we wish to protect our communities, industries, and governments from cybersecurity threats, we must teach our students computer science." 

John Dutton, president of the CSTAO also spoke in favor of the proposed funding.

"If we don't grow our own talent pipeline, Ohioans will be shut out of high-paying jobs in our own backyards," he said.

OhioX also supports the amendment, president and CEO Chris Berry said.

"Technology moves at an incredibly fast pace and Ohio needs to take action to ensure that our students are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in the digital age," he said.

Mr. Berry told Sen. Hearcel Craig (D-Columbus) that there is "incredible diversity" in tech companies that can "attract and offer amazing career opportunities."

"They are employing Ohioans in all corners of the state," he said. "We think this is an opportunity to reach into K-12 education because if we wait until college or later, we can miss them."

"The inspiration of a student in middle school can lead to them building an amazing company and creating jobs," he said.

Chelsea Kohn, director of the Tech Talent Pipeline for the Cleveland Metropolitan School District & Cleveland State University, told the committee that all students deserve access to computer science education.

Sen. Andy Brenner (R-Delaware) asked Ms. Kohn to demonstrate the potential return on investment of the proposed $24 million.

Ms. Kohn said that each of Ohio's 613 districts would receive $40,000, and because many districts have two high schools, each would get around $20,000.

"Keep in mind the supplemental licensure process is at minimum $5,000 per teacher," she said. "Each teacher connects to 120 to 150 students and those are all students who are getting exposure to and pursuing jobs in computer science. That increases the median wage of Ohio."

Sen. Vernon Sykes (D-Akron) asked about high demand computer science focused jobs and the required level of training.

Ms. Kohn explained that the industry is currently in a transition phase, but in Northeast Ohio 60% of open positions in anything IT related require a four-year degree.

The other 40% accept no training, a coding bootcamp, or a training program.

"As we see this progress over the next five years, you could see that college degree percentage go down and we'll have more workforce training programs," she said. "I predict you'll have the majority of the industry still requesting four-year degrees but increasing their internships to grab students earlier and train them in specific skills."

Sen. Louis Blessing (R-Colerain Twp.) expressed concern that teachers who receive extra training would leave the profession for better paying jobs in the IT field.

"How do you stop someone you just trained, a teacher, a young teacher who wants to start a family and says, 'This is what I can make in the private sector,'" he said. "Addressing that is critical."

Ms. Kohn said that concern has been brought up in every discussion about the proposed increase in spending.

Her district has an 80% retention rate of union teachers who receive this training, she said.

"I think I speak on behalf of all teachers that teachers don't teach to make a significant salary. They teach because they love their students and they love the profession and the relationships," she said. "What's missing though is their access to training, and other implementation plans have not made it easy for teachers to take advantage of them."

The proposed grant program provides a significant stipend, she said.

"If you make this investment, you will see teachers stay, and if we continue to provide them with support, they will be the ones to build the relationship with Jose, Michael or Alyssa and say, 'You like this? Go talk to this person who has an open job, go get this degree.' They'll fill the jobs for you because they have the relationship with the talent."

###